County in drought

Franklin County is now officially in a drought. So says King Smith who keeps official records for the National Weather Service.

He said during August the area only received 0.14 of an inch of rain and normal is 0.93 of an inch. We need some good rain and soon, said Smith.

“During September, so far, the Preston area has received 0.28 of an inch and that fell on Sept. 1.

“But we all know that it’s a drop in the bucket. This is just another way to remind us that we live in a desert. Just to give a comparison, some places in the South got more than 20 inches of rain in 48 hours with tropical storm Issac.

“Those in the Midwest are having a worse time than we are. It’s how you look at things. Yes, we are dry, yet it could be worse,” he said.

Smith said it doesn’t look like things are going to change much for the next several months and that’s not good news for farmers and homeowners who like green grass.

“The eight-to-14 day outlook is for warmer and dryer than normal,” he said. “And the ultra-long outlook is more of the same.

This story is sponsored by The Preston Citizen Bookstore.

For the full story subscribe to The Preston Citizen: in print or online.